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Very first Engineering Proto's

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Risks and challenges

As with any project of this magnitude, risks and challenges exist. However, this is not the first time the team is involved in building products and shipping them to Kickstarter backers. We are very aware of the risks and challenges we will face before the product is ready to ship. In order to tackle problems head-on and solve issues before they can cause trouble we semi-moved to Shenzhen china. By being in China, we are within an arm’s length from the suppliers and factories. Instead of trying to solve issues though skype or email we can be on the factory floor within a few hours!
Below is a list of items that are notorious for causing problems and setbacks:

1. MOULD DESIGN
Mould design is a long and tedious process. We know this from previous projects. The lead time given off by factories is usually the first date they can do a test run with the mould. From experience we know that in 99% of the cases, the mould needs to be adjusted and tweaked. This process can take weeks to complete. We have taken this into account in our project time line.

2. CERTIFICATION
Products need to be certified for safety. This is a very important step, but also time intensive (and costly). UL is one of the important certification that a smart plug type product needs to go through before it can be sold in the USA. UL testing requires that the product is in its final state (needs to be in the same state as if it were shipped to a customer). This means that the plastic tooling, PCB, software and even the documentation need to be finalized before certification can start. In case an issue is discovered during the certification, it sometimes requires changes to the pcb, components or worst case even the plastic tooling. This could have a severe impact on the schedule.
In order to greatly minimize the risk that this happens we are planning to do a pre-certification early on in the process.

3. SOFTWARE DESIGN
Software engineers are rock stars because they can create awesome software that makes the world go round these days. Unfortunately, even rock stars make mistakes (every now and then). To avoid that you end up with rock star bug in a product we have a scheduled an extensive period of beta-testing in the project schedule. We are going to solicit several beta-testers from our backer community to help us during this beta testing period and get real life feedback and experience before other backers get their product.
We are also going to make sure that SAM has a firmware upgrade feature so in case we release new features or bug fixes you have a way to update your SAM.

4. SUPPLY CHAIN
A good and reliable supply chain is critical to the success of product manufacturing. We have made sure that all our components can be sourced locally and from multiple sources. For the custom parts we use factories that have a track record and have ample capacity to supply parts in a short time. Our assembly factory is trusted and works with high level of attention to detail so you will get a quality product. We have learned a lot from spending a lot of time is Shenzhen and we are confident that with our expertise and your support we can build quality products and make SAM a reality.

Yes, SAM connects to the cloud through a Wifi connection. However, the Wifi connection does not need to be on all the time. After one or more Smart Rules are create with the app, they are downloaded into SAM and will be active regardless if SAM is connected to wifi. If you want to see live data coming from SAM , or you want to instantly switch SAM on/off, SAM does need to be connected through Wifi.

An Android App is on the list. At the moment the iPhone has higher priority Depending on how much funding we get, the development of the Andriod app can be pulled forward. We are running as fast as we can!

Rewards

$5 reward

Thanks for supporting. Even the small amounts count! As a reward you will get a nice SAM postcard in the mail.

Estimated delivery:Jun 2014

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

$40 reward

100 backers
All gone!

SUPER EARLY BIRD - SAM Plug.
Be one of the very first to get this super awesome deal. Get a SAM Plug (White or black), download the app from the app store and you are good to go. We will ask you for your choice of color in the survey at the end of the campaign

Estimated delivery:Nov 2014

Only ships to: United States

You selected

$44 reward

50 backers
All gone!

EARLY BIRD - SAM Plug
Just missed that super early bird? Here is another awesome deal. Get a SAM Plug (White or Black) and start turning your home into a smart home.

Estimated delivery:Nov 2014

Only ships to: United States

You selected

$49 reward

12 backers

SAM Plug
Get you very own SAM Plug (Black or White) and start automating your smart home. We will ask for your preferred color in the survey at the end of the campaign.

Estimated delivery:Nov 2014

Only ships to: United States

You selected

$79 reward

97 backers
Limited (3 left of 100)

SUPER EARLY BIRD- SAM Strip
Be one of the very first people to get this super awesome deal. SAM Strip will be available for US, EU, UK and AU. We will ask for your choice of region in the survey at the end of the campaign. Please add $25 for international shipping.

Estimated delivery:Nov 2014

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

$89 reward

46 backers
Limited (4 left of 50)

EARLY BIRD - SAM Strip
Just missed that super early bird? Here is another awesome deal. SAM Strip will be available for US, EU, UK and AU. We will ask for your choice of region in the survey at the end of the campaign. Please add $25 for international shipping.

Estimated delivery:Nov 2014

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

$109 reward

18 backers

SAM Strip. Missed the early birds? You are still getting an awesome deal. SAM Strip will cost more in the store later. SAM Strip will be available for US, EU, UK and AU. We will ask for your choice of region in the survey at the end of the campaign. Please add $25 for international shipping.

Estimated delivery:Nov 2014

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

$139 reward

30 backers

SAM HAPPY FAMILY
Get 3x SAM Plug (Black and/or White). We will ask for your choice of color in the survey at the end of the campaign.

Estimated delivery:Nov 2014

Only ships to: United States

You selected

$149 reward

26 backers

SAM COMBO
Get one SAM Plug (Black or White) and one SAM Stip. We will ask for your choice of color in the survey at the end of the campaign.

Estimated delivery:Nov 2014

Only ships to: United States

You selected

$299 reward

2 backers
Limited (23 left of 25)

SAM Beta Tester.
Get one SAM Plug and one SAM Strip before everybody else get theirs and help us test SAM in the field. Keep in mind that these units are early production units and might need extra firmware updates here and there. Its important for us that we get feedback from users in the field as early as possible. Also be prepared to help us run through some test scenarios. This reward level might not be suitable for everybody.

Estimated delivery:Sep 2014

Only ships to: United States

You selected

$450 reward

7 backers

SAM Full House.
Ready to go all in. Get this SAM 10-pack and automate pretty much your whole house. (Black and/or White). We will ask for your choice of color in the survey at the end of the campaign.

Estimated delivery:Nov 2014

Only ships to: United States

You selected

$9,999 reward

0 backers

SAM Partner.
Lets talk and get an awesome SAM partnership going. No need to say more ;)

Estimated delivery:Nov 2014

Ships anywhere in the world

Funding period

May 6, 2014 - Jun 15, 2014
(40 days)

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